Japanese police stated on the 24th that two U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa are under investigation and have been referred to prosecutors for alleged assaults on Japanese women.
This is the latest incident involving the U.S. military in Japan.
Local police told AFP that the two U.S. Marines involved are both in their 20s. One is suspected of assaulting a Japanese woman at a U.S. military base in March and injuring another woman; the other is also suspected of assaulting a Japanese woman at a U.S. military base in January.
Japanese media, citing police sources, reported that the assault in March allegedly took place in a restroom, with the injured woman attempting to prevent the assault on another woman.
Japanese citizens protest against U.S. military sexual violence incidents
On the 24th, citizens in Okinawa Prefecture and Tokyo held protest rallies to condemn the sexual violence perpetrated by the U.S. military in Okinawa.
Some Japanese citizens gathered in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government building, holding placards reading "No tolerance for sexual violence" and "We cannot turn a blind eye," expressing their protest through silent standing.
Citizens also gathered in front of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, to support the Okinawa protests.
About 54,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan, with the majority located on Okinawa Island.
According to statistics from Okinawa Prefecture, from 1972 to 2023, U.S. military personnel and their dependents in Okinawa committed approximately 6,200 criminal acts, including murder, rape, and robbery.